Hail of bullets ended turnpike chase

A Chester County man who stole a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer during a high-speed pursuit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike faces numerous charges, troopers said Friday.

Matthew Malory, 28, of Downingtown led police on a wild chase from Lancaster County to Chester County, police said. On two occasions, troopers fired shots at the rig to stop its progress.

The pursuit occurred partly during a thunderstorm and led to a six-hour traffic tie-up on the turnpike.

Police said Malory is being treated at Paoli Hospital for broken ribs suffered when he crashed the pickup near Morgantown. He later used the stolen rig to ram other vehicles out of the way before crashing in Chester County.

Malory was not hit by any of the shots, police said.

Troopers have filed charges of kidnapping, robbery and aggravated assault against Malory, who jumped into a passing pickup in Perry County and later pushed the driver out. More charges are expected.

According to state police:

About 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Malory, a former Florida resident, was driving a pickup west on Route 322 in Dauphin County when he crashed into two vehicles. Malory drove away but had to stop when his truck broke down near Newport, Perry County.

After trying unsuccessfully to jump into a tractor-trailer, Malory jumped through an open window in a pickup driven by Glenn Arnold, no address given.

When Arnold tried to drive to the Newport state police station, Malory pushed him out and drove away.

Arnold's truck had a tracking system, and troopers used it to locate the vehicle on the turnpike heading east.

Troopers from the Bowmansville station intercepted the truck about 9 miles west of Route 222 and began to chase Malory, who drove at more than 100 mph.

Because of traffic volume and a thunderstorm, Malory outdistanced troopers before crashing just west of the Morgantown interchange.